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Wicca
Wicca is a neo-pagan religion that was created by the New Forest Coven, Gerald Gardner, and to a lesser extent Doreen Valiente. In its original form in the New Forest Coven, the word "wica" was a plural term that applied to the members of the coven, and was not a term used to denote the religion or practices. It wasn't until 1959, with the publication of Gerald Gardner's book The Meaning of Witchcraft, that the term "wicca" became popularized, and shortly thereafter it started to be used as the name of the religion, rather than its practitioners. Practitioners of Wicca are now called "wiccans". Practices As a mystery tradition practice, initiation is of key value to Wicca; someone becomes wiccan through experiencing an initiation, and later elevations promote a practitioners within the priesthood. Another aspect of Wicca being a mystery tradition practice, is that rather than having teachings about theology and other aspects of religious beliefs, it is the experience of being initiated and of later working wiccan ritual that informs the beliefs of individual practitioners. A result of this, is a difficulty in defining such an orthopraxic form of religion, in terms of belief, which people more used to other forms of religion in the western world may expect. The fertility-cult nature of Wiccan practice is evident in many aspects of their rituals, and combines with the mystery tradition aspect of their practice in initiation being performed upon men by women and upon women by men. An exception to this rule is that a man may initiate his son and a woman may initiate her daughter, which clearly reflects fertility in a different way (by reflecting that fact of procreation rather, in initiating their own offspring, rather than reflecting the means of procreation in being cross-gender). Most Wiccan groups claim an initiatory lineage to the New Forest Coven in southern England. Wicca has influenced other forms of paganism, witchcraft, and pagan witchcraft. Beliefs Wicca has a number of set beliefs that are commonly found in various sects- both those with lineage, and newly formed traditions that have no direct link to original Gardnerian or Alexandrian covens. Goddess and God Wicca identifies a moon goddess and horned male god, but with newer sects there may be more stress on one or the other. Different sects of Wicca will also adopt a specific pantheon of gods and goddesses with which the work closely, although not exclusively with those particular deities. It is also important to note that Wiccans do not worship deity, but rather see the relationship as being mutually beneficial and therefore would describe their relationship with deity as "working with" him/her rather than be in a subserviant role. Rituals and Magic Rituals and magic play a very important role in the beliefs of Wiccans as it is closely tied to the mystery aspects of this religion. Although some self-identified Wiccans claim not to practice magic, those of a more traditional background and training will argue against this as it has traditionally been seen as a fundamental aspect of practice and necessary for development. Sabbats Wiccans will generally celebrate 8 holy festivals during the solar year. Different sects may stress certain aspects of these celebrations depending upon which pantheon of gods and goddesses they work with. Dietary Concerns There are no dietary restrictions but there is a high tendancy towards vegetarianism. It is important to stress that this is based on individual preference and is not associated with the religion itself. Dress Wiccans are permitted to wear any form of clothing, but for ritual practice it is important to have robes worn only for this occasion as part of the shift into a magical state. It is also more traditional for rituals to be performed without clothing, known as being skyclad, which has an important symbolic meaning and other spiritual benefits when working within a coven. Ritual Tools Ritual tools are one of the major aspects of Wicca. Information on this subject is at the article ritual tools. Category:Witchcraft Category:Wicca